Two artisans, Bezalel ben Uri and Oholiab ben Ahisamach,
design and craft the vestments the priests will wear.
These include the ephod and breast piece, with gold, blue,
purple and crimson yarn and fine twisted linen.
Semi-precious stones, among them lapis lazuli, emerald, turquoise,
sapphire, and amethyst, are set into these.
“They were encircled in their mountings with frames of gold. The stones corresponded [in number] to the
names of the sons of Israel: twelve,
corresponding to their names;’ engraved like seals, each with its name, for the
twelve tribes” (Exodus 39:13-14). The
priests wore these highly worked garments when they made sacrifices. We no longer offer animals to God; instead,
we offer the prayers of our hearts.
What if we treated each word we pray like a precious stone? What if, instead of merely mouthing words
learned by rote, we made each one as beautiful as we possibly can? We can make the effort to shape each sound
beautifully. We can engrave each word
with kavannah – our heart-felt intention.
We can encircle each thought with love.
We can value each feeling as if it were a gemstone.
Praying this way requires supreme attention. When we pray in this way, we offer our very
best up to God.
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